Topic: Travel | VivirLatino

Head for the Border, But Leave Your Laptop at Home

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:36:10 -0500

If you are entering the U.S., Department of Homeland Security wants your laptop, and maybe your cellphone, iPods, pager, beepers, video and audio tapes. and "all papers and other written documentation," including books, pamphlets and "written materials commonly referred to as 'pocket trash' or 'pocket litter.".

According to an article in the Washington Post, there has been a policy in place for some time that authorizes Homeland security to:

take a traveler's laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16...

Not Flying the Unfriendly Skies in Argentina

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:03:19 -0500

If living in South America showed me anything, it's that they really know how to protest. Travelers left stranded for up to two days in Buenos Aires' Ezeiza international airport on Saturday protested by tossing breaking equipment and attacking guards after Aerolineas Argentinas suspended most of its flights there. The delays and suspensions were attributed to a strike by the pilots' union a union for airport tarmac workers for higher wages. But union officials said the disruptions were caused by overbooked flights.

"There's no one from the company, no one is showing their face or telling us when we're going to fly. We're stranded with children and the elderly," a woman whose flight to Venezuela was canceled on Friday told local TV.

Latin Grammy Countdown : Las Vegas Strip

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:41:22 -0500

As soon as I got off the plane at Las Vegas Mccarran Airport, I ran over to the Mandalay Bay to pick up my press credentials. The beautiful hotel was filled with fans lining up to see their favorite Latin artists in town for tonight's Latin Grammy Awards. From there I took a quick walk through the South Strip hotels, to check into my own. Maybe because it was a weeknight, but the strip wasn't as crowded as I expected it to be. After a quick costume change, it was off to the BMI official pre-party. More on that later. For now check out some strip pictures after the jump.

Andando - Andando

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:42:03 -0500

sorry for the late posting. I've been traveling since early this morning . Destination : Vegas Baby! The first leg of my Northwest Airline flight was lovely. Now I have a few hours to kill in Detriot between flights.

I'll likely be stopping at the Jose Cuervo Tequileria (pictured). What you can't see is a big sign inside that says:

Amigo Bebe porque el tiempo es Breve

...or something like that.

Salud and see you in Vegas!!

Mexico City to woo gay travelers

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:15:45 -0500

As we've pointed out time and time again, Mexico City seems to be trying to win some kind of award for being the most liberal city in Latin America. And in fact, Mexico the country has won an award: gay Destination of the Year by the PlanetOut Travel Awards, which recognize gay-friendly tourist destinations. Past winners have included Barcelona and Buenos Aires.

According to Mexico City blog DFinitivo, the world's largest city is going to begin actively courting the gay travel dollar, and the Secretary of Tourism for DF has joined the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association to prove it. Gay travelers will be welcomed with specialized maps outlining areas of interest for nightlife, cultural events and more.

Via / DFinitivo

Favelas As Art

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:00:05 -0500

When people travel, housing projects aren't usually part of their itineraries. Just like most people don't seek out their art in housing projects either. The housing projects of Brazil, favelas, are notorious for their violence. Those same favelas ,though, are becoming canvases for art by outsiders.

The open air gallery, where crumbling shacks have become giant canvasses, is the brainchild of Jeroen Koolhaas, a Dutch illustrator who works for New Yorker magazine, and Dre Urhahn, an art director from Amsterdam.

"Normally, outsiders would only come here to buy cocaine," said Mr Urhahn, who admits to having found empty cartridges on the scaffolding used for the painting. "The museum is about giving them another reason to visit the community."

Crossing the Border as a Tourist Attraction

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 08:40:24 -0500

This is an example of adventure tourism gone bad and offensive. A nature park in the Mexican central state of Hidalgo is offering mock undocumented crossings of the U.S./Mexico border. That's right, you too can run from a fake Border Patrol about 700 miles from the border for the low low price of 150 pesos — about $15 per person. According to the Austin American-Statesman:

Advertising... tells the pretend immigrants to "Make fun of the Border Patrol!" and to "Cross the Border as an Extreme Sport!" As craven as the advertising sounds, the organizers say they are trying to build empathy for migrants by putting people in their shoes. "We do this to show the people what it's like, to make them more conscious," said Hnahnu elder Luis Santiago Hernandez, who has crossed the genuine border more than five times.

Delta Has Expansion Plans for Mexico

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 08:38:12 -0500

The recently bankrupt Delta Air Lines wants to increase service to Mexico by 126% in April of next year. Included in the plans will be the first non-stop flight from Atlanta to Acapulco. They also will add a new destination, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa.

If all flights are approved by the Department of Transportation, Delta will have a total of 41 flights to 11 destinations in Mexico. They hope to begin all of the new schedules in February/March 2006.

Delta News Via / Yahoo!Finance